11

December 2016 English Bridge

www.ebu.co.uk

raise to 4™ with a max, generating a very likely

minus score.

This extra clarity is immensely useful for judging

competitive auctions.

GAME TRIES - DOUBLES

If there is no room to make a bid of a new suit

below the level of the agreed major then I

recommend that you play:

l Bidding three of the agreed major again as purely

competitive - not invitational to game.

l You use double as a Game Try Double, not as a

penalty double.

West North East South

1™ 2t 2™ 3t

?

Here there is no room to bid a new suit below 3™

as a game-try, so we give up on the penalty double

and play:

Double = Game try double (essentially 3½ hearts)

3™ = Purely competitive

Thus with our two earlier examples after the

auction given above:

This hand would make a

game try double, whereas

this hand could compete with

3™, safe in the knowledge that

partner would now recognise

it as purely competitive, and

not go on to game when max.

SOME AUCTIONS DEFINED

West North East South

1´ 2® 2´ 3®

?

Double = Penalty orientated

3t = Natural(ish) game try for spades

3™ = Natural(ish) game try for spades

3´ = Purely competitive

West North East South

1´ 2t 2´ 3t

?

Double = Penalty orientated

3™ = Game try for spades (alertable, not natural)

3´ = Purely competitive

West North East South

1´ 2™ 2´ 3™

?

Double = Game try, not penalty

3´ = Purely competitive r

´ A 5 4

™ K Q 10 7 3

t K 9 7

® A 5

´ A 4

™ K Q 8 7 3 2

t K 9 7

® 9 5

Have you got it?

Check out Neil's quiz online, page 65